UK troops sent home over PoW case

LONDON, England (CNN) --Two British soldiers have been sent back to barracks after an investigation was opened into the alleged punching of Iraqi PoWs.

The men, who have not been named, are alleged to have hit a prisoner while serving with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

A spokeswoman for the UK Ministry of Defence told CNN Wednesday: "An investigation into the incident has begun, but I can confirm the man was punched in the face and received a black eye."

In a second, separate incident, two more British soldiers from the so-called Desert Rats are being questioned about the deaths of two Iraqi prisoners.

Foul play is "not at the forefront of the investigation" at the moment, the MoD spokeswoman added.

The Iraqis died on different days last month while allegedly being held at a detention center in Basra, southern Iraq, in the custody of the Desert Rats, officially known as the Black Watch battalion, which is part of the 7th Armoured Brigade.

The army is already looking into a third separate incident involving photos handed in by a British soldier to a photoshop in Tamworth, central England, which allegedly show Iraqi PoWs being tortured.